(Minghui.org) I work as a cashier, accountant, and merchandiser at a kindergarten school, and I have done so for three years. I have also practiced Falun Dafa for over 20 years. Our Master teaches us to be a good people wherever we are: at home, in society, or at work.
I have been doing my best to follow Falun Dafa's foundational principles of Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance in my work.
A Strong Work Ethic
When I just started working at the kindergarten, I wasn’t in charge of finance. Back then, I went with the former accountant to purchase food, daily necessities, and stationery for the kindergarten. Sometimes we forgot a couple of items when there was a lot to buy. Even though it was the accountant’s responsibility to keep track of what to purchase, she always blamed me for not assisting her well enough. In those instances, I just reminded myself to buy everything the next time and not to feel wronged.
When we forgot to buy an item one time, the accountant didn’t want to drive all the way back to the store. I suggested another store that was closer, but when we got there, we found out that they didn’t carry the item we wanted. The accountant complained that we were going to miss lunch at the school. So I told her to go back to the kindergarten to have lunch, and that I would ride my electric bike back to the first store to buy the item. Although I missed lunch, I felt happy.
I’m in my 50s, and the accountant is in her 30s. However, she'd had surgery on her leg, so I always let her sit in the car as I went into the store to buy things. As a Falun Dafa practitioner, I should always consider others first.
During the second semester, the accountant told the principal that she wasn’t willing to deliver the desserts to the branch kindergarten due to the long distance and troublesome parking regulations. So the principal asked if I would like to take over the duty, and I said yes. I rode my electric bike to deliver desserts from one end of the city to the other end for nearly six months, no matter how terrible the weather was, until the branch kindergarten finally got its own dessert cook.
Once, I noticed that the number on one of the receipts had been altered. The amount “360 yuan” looked like it was originally “260 yuan.” I suspected the accountant because she was the only other person who had access to the receipt. I wondered if I should ask her. But I also wondered if it would cause too much tension since we had to work together every day?
When I asked if she had changed the number, she admitted it. She said she had some financial difficulties and had kept 100 yuan for herself. She’s a single mother with a son in junior high school, she said. I said I understood and then told her about the principle of “no loss no gain.” She agreed with what I said. I never told anyone else about the incident.
One day, the principal suddenly assigned me to be the accountant and reassigned the former accountant. She was very angry at first and suspected that I might have told the principal about the receipt fraud. I explained that I had not informed on her. She then realized that if I had told, the job reassignment would have happened long ago.
While working with her for three years, she changed a lot. At first, she often scolded others and complained and argued with teachers, but she eventually stopped doing so.
She once asked me, “Am I much more polite now after learning from you?”
I replied, “Indeed, a lot better.”
No Greed
The principal trusted me a lot due to my honesty. He gave me a bank card because he knew I would make wise purchases. Once, a vegetable seller told me that he would give me 800-to-1,000-yuan kickbacks every month if he could sell to us with inflated prices. I told him that since I practiced Falun Dafa and the principles of Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance, I did not accept bribes. I wouldn’t take a penny from him, so I asked him to set a fair price. After that, I told him about the persecution of Falun Dafa and persuaded him to quit the Chinese Communist Party and its affiliated organizations.
In today's society, morality has dropped so much. Wherever I'm out shopping and ask for a receipt, people often ask me how much I want the receipt to be. I always tell them to use the actual cost. I often take these moments as opportunities to clarify the truth about Falun Dafa and to remind them that our Master requires us to be good people.
One of my coworker often takes time off, and sometimes the periods last for two weeks or 20 days. I always have to take over her duties, and the principal never pays me extra. I am a Falun Dafa practitioner, however, so I work hard and make no complaints.
Master said,
“If something is yours, you will not lose it. If something is not yours, you will not have it even if you fight for it.” (Zhuan Falun)
Therefore, I’ve let go of my attachment of pursuing profit, which impeded me doing my work well. As such, I will continue to be strict with myself and cultivate diligently.
Please correct me with compassion if I have written anything that doesn’t align with Dafa.
